By Sunday 
For a moment, it felt like the Detroit Lions had this one under control.
They walked into halftime with a lead, momentum on their side, and an offense that looked balanced and confident. The defense had forced a turnover, capitalized on an Aidan Hutchinson interception, and Jared Goff appeared comfortable spreading the ball to Jameson Williams and Amon-Ra St. Brown. Everything was setting up for a statement win.
Then the second half happened.
The Good: A First-Half Blueprint That Worked
Detroit’s opening 30 minutes were exactly what the coaching staff hoped for. The Lions moved the ball efficiently, played opportunistic defense, and showed they could keep pace with a dangerous Rams offense.
Goff’s rhythm was noticeable, especially with his top two receivers creating separation and moving the chains. Even when second-year kicker Jake Bates missed his first field-goal attempt, he bounced back later — a small but meaningful response in a game that demanded poise.
At that point, the Lions weren’t just surviving — they were dictating.
The Bad: A Defense With No Answers
Whatever adjustments the Rams made at halftime, Detroit had no counter.
The defensive collapse was glaring, as Kelvin Sheppard’s unit struggled to contain elite playmakers. Puka Nacua and Davante Adams repeatedly found space, while the run defense unraveled completely. Kyren Williams and Blake Corum thrived, exposing a depleted Lions front that couldn’t regain control of the line of scrimmage.
As Dan Campbell bluntly put it, “We did not own the ground and that makes it extremely difficult defensively to defend those guys if you cannot even corral or limit their run game.”
That failure up front snowballed into everything else.
The Ugly: A Third Quarter That Decided the Game
If there was a single stretch that defined the loss, it was the third quarter — and Campbell didn’t sugarcoat it.
“Really, I think the story yesterday was we had three series in the third quarter defensively and offensively. That’s really what bit us,” Campbell said.
“Basically three touchdowns in 12 plays on defense and then we have nine plays for six yards total.”
Those numbers are jarring. Three Rams touchdowns. Six total yards for Detroit. In a game of inches and momentum, that sequence flipped everything.
The Lions’ offense looked “unplugged,” unable to sustain drives or give the defense a breather. One small win on either side of the ball could have changed the tone — but none came.
What It Means Going Forward
Detroit entered the game hoping to control the clock with Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery, limit the Rams’ rushing attack, and win the physical battle. Instead, Los Angeles owned the ground, forced schematic breakdowns, and capitalized on every mistake.
Campbell acknowledged the technical lapses, noting “some technique, fundamental things that we’ve got to get cleaned up that you can’t get away with.” And with Pittsburgh looming, those corrections can’t wait.
This loss wasn’t about effort — it was about execution, adjustments, and surviving a critical stretch when everything tilted the wrong way.
The latest Lone Wolves podcast dives deeper into how a game with massive playoff implications slipped away and what the Lions must fix to avoid a repeat. If this matchup taught anything, it’s that strong halves don’t win games — consistency does.